retired_rachelbrook415

Hi guys and gals.

I have just gained promotion to the Premier League with Swansea City. The problem is this, whilst asking a coach for a report on my player, last season where the player had 5 stars and was a 'an important first teamer' he now has just 3 stars, and is 'a decent player'.

This has happened to basically the whole team, where they were classed as integral members of my team they are now 'good' or 'decent' players??? I realise I have stepped up to the big boys league, but why would a players coach rating go so downhill in 1 season??

Any help would be appreciated, thanks all.

Foxx.

retired_ktwahl

As teams like Derby have shown, you can have a good championship team and an awful Premier league one.

retired_mssa007

You guessed it. You've stepped up the Prem, and some of these players just ain't gonna cut the mustard. If you read a players description by a coach, it might say "would be a good signing for a Championship side", whereas last season in the Champ it will have told you he was quality.

retired_swany20

Coach ratings are extremely buggy. Wait another month and they will give you a completely different report. Best thing to do is to just ignore them.

retired_rachelbrook415

O shat, so basically I have a team of no hopers and need to sign all Prem quality players then :eek:

Gulp, I can hear the chants around the Liberty Stadium already 'They're going down, they're going down, Swansea's going down'

*sobs*

retired_rachelbrook415

Other than buying better players, does anybody have any suggestions on how I can try to stay in the Premiership?? Are there any LLM managers out there who can offer me a helping hand with some top advice!?

retired_rcsmith1208

Have a look at your assistant manager's Judging player ability and potential, if these are low they can really over rate your players.. if high they give a more realistic view of your players

retired_mssa007

It's very difficult.
In 2018 i took over at Spurs at got them into the Prem. Finished 20th. Really poor.
But I stuck with it.
Managed to use my Premiership status to sign some great players on pre-contracts.
Got promoted again.
Finished a lot higher the next season.

I guess it's like a 3-year personal plan
- expect relegation
- buy for next season
- come back stronger

Either that, or score more goals then your opposition every game...

retired_w0lfpack1

Definitely.

First off, you're going to want to come up with a good defensive tactic - not a park-the-bus, because if you sit back against the top teams, you'll get hammered, but something you can use to go after a nil-nil draw when you need it.

You might consider "throwing" some of your matches - if you don't think you can go into Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, et.al, and get a point, maybe its not worth risking your top player's Morale - - let the backups take a walloping if you think one is on.

On the other hand, pay attention to form - if Chelsea have just lost at Old Trafford, and then lost a Champions League match, you may be able to pile onto their misery!

What else?

Don't trust your coaches on this one. You don't need ace Premiership stars to stay up.

What you need are:
- veterans
- with high Determination, Work Rate, and Teamwork
- and a Professional mentality

These guys are the "grinders", guys who will give you top-notch effort even when you're down 2-0, or in the midst of a four-game losing streak. If you've got guys like that on your team, they'll be worth their weight in gold during a relegation campaign.

I normally buy youth for the future - but this may be the one season where picking up a key veteran may make the biggest difference for you. Especially if you can find one on a cut-rate transfer fee - its worth looking for!

If I had my preference, I'd upgrade goalkeeper, defensive midfielder, and central defense first: strikers are all well and good, but what you really need is to keep the side from shipping early, confidence-sapping goals.

Be very positive in your team-talks: encourage, encourage, encourage - you've got to keep morale up.

You might as well offer the highest available bonus for winning the league.

You might want to consider selecting the smallest possible pitch dimensions. It'll help you clog the pitch against the Big Four when they come to town.

I think that's about it.

retired_w0lfpack1

Actually, SWaRFeGa's piece of advice:

"Expect relegation"

is probably the best piece out of the lot: if you set your own personal expectations very low, it'll help you avoid frustration when you hit that six-game-slump that is going to be inevitable. By avoiding frustration, you'll also avoid taking it out on your players, or doing something rash .. which in turn, will increase your chances of staying up!